By the Rivers of Babylon

By: Nelson DeMille

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 17 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Lod Airport, Israel: Two Concorde jets take off for a U.N. conference that will finally bring peace to the Middle East. Covered by F-14 fighters, accompanied by security men, the planes carry warriors, pacifists, lovers, enemies, dignitaries - and a bomb planted by a terrorist mastermind.

Suddenly they're forced to crash-land at an ancient desert site. Here, with only a handful of weapons, the men and women of the peace mission must make a desperate stand against an army of crack Palestinian commandos - while the Israeli authorities desperately attempt a rescue mission. In a land of blood and tears, in a windswept place called Babylon, it will be a battle of bullets and courage, and a war to the last death.

©2003 Nelson DeMille (P)2010 Hachette Audio

Implausability Gives Way to a Great Story

Would you listen to By the Rivers of Babylon again? Why?

Probably not...I already know how it turns out!

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I could see some things coming, but several of the scenes were really compelling

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He's great, and he can do character 'voices' changes without being jarring or confusing.

Who was the most memorable character of By the Rivers of Babylon and why?

Jacob Hausner

One of the best authors

couldn't stop listening Scott Brick is unequivocally the best story teller great drama and action sequences

Scott Brick, you did it again!

What made the experience of listening to By the Rivers of Babylon the most enjoyable?

Scott knows how to read these books- i have a feeling he is part John Corian.

Who was your favorite character and why?

How could John not be your favorite, sarcastic, rude, sexy, brave and more

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

above

Who was the most memorable character of By the Rivers of Babylon and why?

Hello- you just asked me the same question three times in a row

Any additional comments?

Love these books

Too many silly mistakes

What did you like best about By the Rivers of Babylon? What did you like least?

I've read most of Mr DeMille's books. This is an early one - so I expected it to be a little rough around the edges. I wasn't disappointed.

Would you recommend By the Rivers of Babylon to your friends? Why or why not?

I'm ambivalent about this. Maybe if they were really desperate but I'd certainly not suggest this over (say) Word of Honour or In Country.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His performance is very good and his mastery of multiple accents makes it easy to distinguish the characters - even when DeMille doesn't spell it out.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Probably not. It's not that good, the plot reads like a film script and the topic is really dated.

Any additional comments?

I was annoyed by silly errors - things like expecting the moon to rise and set between sunset and sunrise. This NEVER happens.This might have been necessary as a plot device but it is either sloppy or it shows a lack of inventiveness..

It's also weird to think that at the time the story was written - 1978 - BAe and Aerospatiale hadn't realised that the Concorde was a technological triumph but a financial disaster.... Trying to convince readers that Israel - the most pragmatic nation on earth - would buy these aircraft is just weird.

Another Fantastic Job!

..................by Nelson Demille and Scott Brick! This book keeps you at the edge of your seat at all times. Wonderful work in my humble opinion.
Thanks for many hours of entertainment.
Bill

Great Fun

Great - actionn packed - lots of characters and even though it took place a a while in the past - it felt current

Satisfying listen.

Superb narration. The end became a little over the top but it was a great education. I suggest you write down the names of the characters in the first few chapters or you may be befuddled by who is who and where they fit in. I've loved almost all of the author's books.

Worst NDM book

I love his stuff, have probably read, our listened to, more than a dozen of his books. The story of this one is so far fetched, I could hardly get myself to listen to it.

Nevermind, the rest of his stuff is great.

Great Story, Great Reader!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed all of Nelson DeMille’s work, and this book doesn’t disappoint. And Scott Brick is a fabulous reader. I highly recommend this book.

4.5

I enjoyed this audiobook, and I generally don't have a problem following characters, but there was quite a few in this so that on occasion I was like who is that person? This audiobook I feel like I could go back and listen to it again, and glean more from it. Nelson DeMille's books are always so informative, though, and I always learn a lot along with the story. I was curios to look up Babylon after this book. I had just listened to Spencerville by Nelson DeMille before this one, and I, personally, liked Spencerville more, but this is a good book, too.